A half hour from the city of Encarnación and six from Asunción, the UNESCO World Heritage missions of La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná and Jesús de Tavarangue are ruins of planned towns established by Spanish Jesuits which fused European Catholic design with Guaraní artisanship. Santísima Trinidad del Paraná was established in 1706 and is considered the better preserved complex: you can still read the mission “city plan” in stone—the Plaza Mayor, the main church, smaller church structures, cloisters/college areas, workshops, and residential districts. Nearby Jesús de Tavarangue was founded 21 years earlier, and its church ruins remain imposing, with the broader layout still showing the plaza and settlement structure, even though less survives intact than at Trinidad.
Read more in my post Why Paraguay? 7 Spots to Show Why You Might Be Surprised.
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